Process of treating petroleum oils



Patented Nov. 1, 1932 FRANK F. GORMAN, OF BRISTOW, OKLAHOMA PROCESS OF TREATING J PETROLEUM OILS No Drawing. Application filed December 22, 1926. Serial No. 156,521}

This invention relates to a process of treating petroleum oils and more particularly the paraffin and allied heavy hydrocarbons present in crude petroleum oils.

An important object of this invention is to provide a process of treating parafiin-com taining oils, such as crude petroleum oil, cut oil, and the like, to remove the paraffin and allied heavy hydrocarbons therefrom or to convert these heavy constituents into such form that they are readily assimilated by or miscible with the other constituents of the oil being treated. I

Another object of the invention is to provide a process for treating the casings and oil-bearing sands of parafiined wells to remove the paraffin and allied hydrocarbons therefrom, thereby permitting the oil to flow freely from the oil-bearing strata into the wells. 1

Still another object of this'invention is to provide a process for removing deposits of paraffin and allied heavy hydrocarbons from pipe lines and other oil moving apparatus, storing or treating equipment or apparatus.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent in the course of the following description. V

As is well known, in many oil fields the crude petroleum oil contains a large proportion of paraffin and allied hydrocarbons. The presence of such parafiin and'other heavy oily matter in the crude oil has presented a serious problem to the workers in this field in that these ingredients if left in the oil so increase its vi's'cosity'that it clogs the pipe lines and apparatus used in moving, storing'and treating the oil. Moreover, these heavy ingredients will often seal the interstices of oil bearing strata with the result that the oil will not flow into the well or will flow but very slowly. Moreover, if the paraflin and similar heavy oily matter are presentin the oil the specific gravity of the oil is materially lower than if these constituents are removed. This is a distinct disadvantage since the sell ing'price of the oil when it is run into the pipe lines depends upon the specific gravity of the oil.

I have discovered a process of and composition for eliminating the disadvantages above referred to and have discovered that the parafiin and similar heavy oilymatter contained inthe crude oil can be converted into M an oil of lower viscosity and higher specific gravity if treated with gas oil, treated in a manner hereinafter to be described, mixed with an alkaline oil-cleansing composition such as are now in use but'preferably anoil- Y cleansing composition consisting of soda ash, sodium bicarbonate, sodium hydroxid and "a powdered form of the-solid coal-tar derivative which in oil field practice is commonly called naphtha? but which, according to proper chemical terminology, is naphthalene (0 m), l

My preferred method of preparing this oil cleaning composition is as followsi Commercial gas oil, having a gravity of from 82 to 36 Baum and a flash and fire point from 180 to 220 is heated to from 490 to 510 F., depending upon the crude'oil employed to reduce the gravity of the gas oil to from 815 to 32 Baum. During this heating process any gasoline, benzine and like volatile hydrocarbons remaining in the gas oil are volatilized so that the remaining fluid is noninflammable. The temperature of the gas oil is maintained and the oil introduced into a centrifugal mixing machine into which also is introduced and mixed with the gas oil soda ash, sodium bicarbonate, sodium hydroxid, and powdered so-calle'd naphtha (naphthalene). The ingredients added to the gas oil in the centrifuge are preferably in dry form and in the proportions of 5 parts by weight of soda ash, 5parts by weight of sodium bicarbonate, 5 parts by weight of sodium hydroxid, and one part by weight of the powdered naphthalene. These dry ingredients are mixed with the gas oil in the proportions of preferably one gallon of gas oil to one pound of the dry mixture, or the dry ingredients may be added separately to the gas oil, in the same proportions.

The composition thus prepared is noncorrosive and hence maybe used with impunity in oil lines and apparatus. It is noninfiammable so that it may be shipped without danger. "It will not freeze at the lowest tem-' perature which may be encountered in any oil field. In fact it appears that the activity of the composition is increased by low temperatures.

When paraiiin-containing oil is treated with this compound the paraflin and similar heavy oily matter undergo a molecular change, wherein the molecular structure is simplified, the material apparently, being depolymerized with the formation of lower or less complex hydrocarbons from the higher hydrocarbons constituting these heavy constituents. The lower hydro-carbons thus formed are readily dissolvedin or miscible with the other oils found in the crude oil, with theresult that the viscosity of the crude oil is materially reduced and the specific gravity materially raised.

The procedure for raising the gravity and lowering the velocity of the crude oil is preferably as follows:

The composition prepared in the manner described above may be introduced into the well or may be added to'the crude oil in storage tanks. In thefirst case, it may be poured through the casing of the well, or, if a packer is used, the compound may be poured through the. tubing into the well, or the composition may be pumped through a separate pipe line into the well at any desired level. If the crude oil is to be treated in storage tanks, the composition is' introduced into the tank in: anyvsuitable manner .and will be difi'used thoroughly throughout the crude oil.

In. such treatment, as is'also the case where the composition is poured into the well, no

heating is required and this feature presents an important advantage of the invention. The proportionof the composition to be employed will depend upon the character of the oil being treated. However, I have found that 200 barrels of crude oil may be successfully treated with 10 gallons of the composition.

The effectiveness of my process will be readily apparent from the fact that in one typical instance a tank of crudeoil having a specific gravity of approximately 12 Baum was treated at about 58 F., with my composition and the oil was raised to a gravity of approximately 24.6 Baum. In another test crude oil was treated according to my process and the result showed only .6 of 1% B. S. and no water.

It often happens that in fields where the crude oil contains a substantial amount of paraflin and other like heavy oily matter, these heavy constituents settle to the bottom of the well or seal the oil-bearing sands or other portions of the casing of the well. The well andcasing may be cleaned and the heavy constituents above referred to removed by introducing the above described composition into the well. This can be accomplished in any suitable manner as by pouring the composition directly into the well or through the tubing of the packer. The amount of the composition to be employed Will depend upon the character of the well, the viscosity of the crude oil, the amount of sediment held in suspension, and the proportion of heavy r constituents present. However, found that 50 gallons ofthe composition is usually suflicient for cleaning a well.

I have also discovered that my process and composition are particularly adapted for cleaning pipelines which have become clogged with deposits of sediment and the above referred to heavy constituents of crude oil. These lines may be cleaned by intro I have V ducing my; composition under pressure, as

by means. of pumps, through. thepipe lines. The heavy constituents which have deposit ed in the lines will be converted into lower hydrocarbons and will dissolve-in lormix with theother constituents of the crude oil" and in such a mannerthat they are readily removed from the pipe lines. Moreover, the

sediment which has been held in deposits'in' ,oil is not subjected to the refining processes necessary to remove usable constituents therefrom. In any case, however, theheavy constituents referred to above may beremoved without the employment of heat and in a form suitable for mixing with the portions of the crude oil previously removed.

The importanceof this use will'be readily apparent.

From the foregoingit will be apparent that I have provided a particularly efiective process and composition for converting higher hydrocarbons suchas paraffin, and allied hydrocarbons into lower hydrocarbons. It

will also be readily appreciated that I' have provided an eflicient process, and composition for cleaning paraflined wells, oil lines and the like, for changing the viscosity and specific gravity of-crude oilso that it is more readily acceptable to pipe line companies andis in condition for sale at a higher price, and for converting hitherto waste constituents of cut oil into a usable form.

While I have described-in detail the preferred practice of my process and my preferred composition it is to be understood that the details of procedure and the proportions of ingredients may be widely varied without departing from thespirit of the invention. or the scope of the subjoined claims. I claim: 1. Theherein described process of treating paraffin and allied hydrocarbons in oils and oil-bearing strata which comprises adding thereto a reagent resulting from the admixture or" gas oil, soda ash, sodium bicarbonate, sodium hydroxide, and naphthalene, in the proportions of approximately one gallon of gas oil, five ounces of soda ash, five ounces of sodium bicarbonate, five ounces of sodium hydroxide and one ounce of naphthalene.

2. The herein described process of treating crude petroleum which comprises adding thereto a reagent resulting from the admixture of gas oil of a specific gravity between 315 and 32 Baum, soda ash, so-

dium bicarbonate, sodium hydroxide and naphthalene, in the proportions of approximately one gallon of gas oil, five ounces of soda ash, five ounces of sodium bicarbonate,

. five ounces of sodium hydroxide and one ounce of naphthalene.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRANK F. GORMAN. 

